BB Girls are ready for a new beginning.
Formerly known as Brave Girls, the K-pop group comprising Minyoung, Youjoung, Eunji and Yuna have made a comeback on the music scene with a new name, label and song.
The four-member band released One More Time on August 3, their first single under Warner Music Korea after signing with the company in April. The jump to the label, a subsidiary of the American conglomerate Warner Music, was something the group say they were very much looking forward to.
“For our group’s new identity, we believe communication is truly important,” says Minyoung. “For this album, both Warner Music Korea and members have jointly participated in every step of the process to create something that shows all four of our colours.”
In addition to a new label, they also had to think of a new group name. The members say BB Girls encapsulates who they are and who they want to be.
“We chose a new group name that will be familiar to both the public and our fans, as we have a history,” says Youjoung. “Our name also conveys a special meaning, as BB stands for ‘breaking barriers’, which I feel is an important message for our group.”
The band debuted in 2011 with the single album The Difference under Brave Entertainment, but have undergone several changes in their more than 10 years on the music scene – including no longer having any original members.
However, the current members of BB Girls were part of Brave Girls’ most famous hit – their song Rollin’ unexpectedly went viral in 2021, four years after it was first released.
This was in part thanks to a compilation video of the band performing for the South Korean military, which became very popular. At the time, the group were considering whether to disband but decided against it after their luck changed.
“We will be forever thankful for that moment; it was a miraculous gift for all of us,” says Eunji.
They also won a number of awards that year including Best Artist Award – Singer at the Asia Artist Awards, Artist of the Year (Bonsang) at The Fact Music Awards, and Best Female Artist at the Korea Broadcasting Awards.
As their contracts ended with Brave Entertainment earlier this year, they released the song Goodbye in February as a parting message to fans – though promising the disbandment was only temporary. Only two months later, they signed with their new label while reintroducing themselves as BB Girls.
Now the band turns their focus to One More Time, for which they've just released a new dance video. They hope their fans will stick with them on their new journey.
“I hope fans will look out for every single aspect for this comeback, from the music video, choreography, visuals and more. We worked hard on every detail,” says Eunji.
Although it still feels early to figure out what is next, the group say they are always willing to take a risk especially when it comes to partnering with other acts or perhaps even going back on tour.
“We’d like to constantly try new things to show new sides of BB Girls,” says Yuna. “We are always open for any opportunities for collaboration or tours.”
For some, matching previous success can be difficult because of the high expectations. However, BB Girls say they are ready for the opportunity and are perhaps hoping for a little bit of that luck again.
“As it is our new beginning, BB Girls' goal is to clearly find and show our group’s distinct colour to people,” she says. “For a specific career goal, maybe we could say this year’s Rookie Award?”
Results
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The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
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• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Six pitfalls to avoid when trading company stocks
Following fashion
Investing is cyclical, buying last year's winners often means holding this year's losers.
Losing your balance
You end up with too much exposure to an individual company or sector that has taken your fancy.
Being over active
If you chop and change your portfolio too often, dealing charges will eat up your gains.
Running your losers
Investors hate admitting mistakes and hold onto bad stocks hoping they will come good.
Selling in a panic
If you sell up when the market drops, you have locked yourself out of the recovery.
Timing the market
Even the best investor in the world cannot consistently call market movements.
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